THE DIALECTICS OF AUTONOMY AND OPENING

Abstract

This essay presents a consideration of the past sixty years of Chinese economic development. It argues that in order to understand the success of Chinese development the analyst must consider the prior Maoist years and in particular the structures of social relations; the forms of sovereignty; and most important, the highly participatory mobilizations of peasants and workers in building China. The author argues that the legacy of these earlier policies is key to a proper grasp of the current moment. In this sense, the “dialectics” refer to the ongoing relationship among past, present, and the possible future.

Notes

* Note: Portions of this essay were delivered at a conference held in 2008 at Peking University entitled “The Sixtieth Anniversary of China's Communist Party and the Chinese Model.” It was revised in September 2009. Elements of Wang Hui's original essay were translated and published as part of the English preface to Wang Hui, The End of Revolution (Verso 2010). The present translators looked at that piece, but opted to retranslate the whole essay from scratch. Each translator took responsibility for a part of the essay. Rebecca Karl brought the parts into a unified whole. Wang Hui reviewed the English translation and made revisions, which Karl incorporated into the final version.